Line #89 TabletopGame/LeviathanTheTempest


1	-> ''"We've always looked down on humans. It's easy, when you see them looking at you with those big moony eyes. But they've built this world, while anything our people did is long buried in silt and rotting algae. If I was you, I'd shut up and listen to them more often."''
2	-->-- '''The School of Clay'''
3
4	''Leviathan: The Tempest'' is a fan project for White Wolf's ''TabletopGame/ChroniclesOfDarkness''.
5
6	In the beginning the world was a formless chaos called the Primordial Waters. At the heart of the sea was Tiamat, the mother of all things. Tiamat and her children, the Progenitors, ruled the Primordial Waters and were worshiped as gods by mankind. Then came Marduk to do battle with Tiamat and the Progenitors, in climatic conflict he slew them and reforged the world drawing land and sky out from the Primordial Waters. [[MultipleChoicePast Or maybe not]].
7
8	Beyond [[KrakenAndLeviathan sea monsters]] and demigods, ''Leviathan'' is a game about living in a world you are entirely unsuited for and encompasses dual themes of [[PubertySuperpower puberty]] and old age. On the one side, Leviathans must learn to cope with [[BodyHorror physical changes]], new powers and responsibilities; on the other, they must cope with the fact that as a people they've been outdated since the bronze age and failed to accomplish anything.
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10	[[AC:The {{Splat}}s of Leviathan are as follows:]]
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12	'''The Strains:''' Which of the seven Progenitors you claim descent from.
13
14	* The '''Bahamutans,''' Spawn of Bahamut: Stereotypically [[GentleGiant mellow]] but this is [[UnstoppableRage unreliable]]. Noted for having the most healthy offspring and cooperative culture. They master the Vestige of Vitality and represent the vice of Sloth.
15	* The '''Dagonites,''' Spawn of Dagon: Dagonites are the [[MotherOfAThousandYoung most fertile]] but least healthy bloodline of the Tribe and usually lead the largest Cults. They master the Vestige of Fecundity and represent the vice of Pride.
16	* The '''Lahamin,''' Spawn of Lahamu: Known to be secretive and possess seemingly unlimited knowledge but are also surprisingly capable in a straight up fight. They master the Vestige of Awareness and represent the vice of Envy.
17	* The '''Nu,''' Spawn of Nu: Claiming descent from the oldest Progenitor, the Nu boast unrivaled connection to the elements. They are expected to be introspective and mystical. They master the Vestige of Elements and represent the vice of Gluttony.
18	* The '''Oceanids,''' Spawn of Oceanus: An Oceanid is a true predator, both socially and often physically. They are legendary for their dominance over the minds of men. They master the Vestige of Sanctity and represent the vice of Lust.
19	* The '''Tanninim,''' Spawn of Tannin: The Tanninim take upon themselves the mantle of judges, mostly judging the tribe's enemies. From their ranks come the Tribe's foremost warriors. They master the Vestige of Predation and represent the vice of Wrath.
20	* The '''Thalassans,''' Spawn of Thalassa: Stereotyped to be well adapted for both the land and the sea and, more metaphorically, life with normal humans, which puts a lot of pressure on them. They master the Vestige of Might and represent the vice of Greed.
21
22	'''The Schools:''' Your way of coping with the stress of everyday life.
23	* '''The School of the Abyss''' seeks to retreat from the world and find a place they can truly be at peace, even if that place is only a state of mind. They are the foremost experts on the Rift.
24	* '''The School of the Sun''' seeks to reclaim the role of spiritual leaders Leviathans once held amongst mankind and in turn worship the Progenitors.
25	* '''The School of Clay''' believe that The Tribe hasn't made much progress but humanity has and seek to copy humanity both socially and scientifically.
26	* '''The School of the Reef''' seek an outlet for the Tribe's strength and energy by taking the fight to the Tribe's ancient enemies.
27	* '''The School of Fog''' seek answers in The Tribe itself and constantly question both their cousins and the tribe's history.
28	* '''The School of the Moon''' are constantly rebuilding their cults and reinventing themselves, believing that there exists some combination of cult and lifestyle that can perfectly satisfy all three of a Leviathan's natures.
29	* '''The School of the Sand''' seek to find technological end-runs around the problems of being a Leviathan, such as using videoconferencing and phones to allow a Leviathan to speak to her loved ones without pulling them into the Wake.
30
31	They are primarily opposed by the '''Marduk Society''', an organization of [[TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil hunters]] formed by the [[{{Immortality}} immortal]] Sky Wizards, the disciples of Tiamat's slayer.
32
33	''Leviathan'' was originally conceived of as a pseudo-serious response to the joking suggestion of a White Wolf game for the ''Film/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon''; it has since snowballed to include numerous elements of mythology and a dose of [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraftian]] influence.
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35	The official website can be found [[http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/LeviathanTempest:Main_Page on the RPGnetWiki,]] development is done on the [[http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=507061 RPGnet forums]]. A second edition called '''Leviathan: The Cult Chronicles''' that is compatible with the God-Machine Chronicles, as well as the other second edition gamelines, is now in development on the [[http://forum.theonyxpath.com/forum/main-category/main-forum/the-new-world-of-darkness/434590-leviathan-the-cult-chronicles Onyx Path forums]].
36
37	----
38	!!This game features the use of:
39	* AbusiveParents: Leviathans are not known for healthy families, but either cloning yourself to make your [[TykeBomb children into]] [[ChildSoldiers rapid growing warriors]] or actually eating your own young takes the cake. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Eating your own young is rare even for Leviathans.]]
40	* AdaptationalHeroism: The Marduk Society got this in between 1st and 2nd edition, going from a bunch of optimistic, idealistic {{Science Hero}}es being secretly manipulated by {{Evil Sorcerer}}s who were eating Leviathan flesh for immortality and possibly feeding on the misery of humanity for power to having gotten rid of those self-same sorcerers and now being a pure and unambiguous force for good. A shame that they're also now struggling to get the old network back online, have lost at least half their numbers, and, of course, are trying to be heroes in the ''World of Darkness''...
41	* AdaptiveAbility: A minor form of this is available to Leviathans.
42	* AdventurerArchaeologist: Marduk employs them.
43	* AGodAmI: A Leviathan's natural instincts push them to feel this way because of their divine nature. Of course Leviathans actually are gods, technically one third god, not that this helps them much.
44	* AncientConspiracy: The Marduk Society, although somewhat zigzagged in 2e, with notes that they've actually only just been able to stay ahead of the curve of human technology on their own.
45	* ArcNumber: Seven. There are Seven Strains, Seven Schools, Seven Depths of power...
46	* AsTheGoodBookSays: Each Strain opens with a quote from the Old Testament showing the ancient Israelites acting like that Strain's cultists. These quotes are neutral at best and at worst they show some outright evil behaviour. Empyrean Theurgists also get a biblical quote, where {{God}} himself is at his very best.
47	* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: [[Film/KingKong Royal Apes]]. Also the 'A Mountain Walked' channel allows players to do this themselves.
48	* BadPowersGoodPeople: In legend Marduk's magic used despair as a power source. This was supposed to let him [[CombinedEnergyAttack draw on humanity's strength when he was needed most]]. Unfortunately his [[ShroudedInMyth Disciples]] are rumored to making perfectly sure there's plenty of despair going around.
49	** Skipping the rumored part entirely in 2e; the Marduk Society was founded when Marduk's disciples ''murdered him'' rather than see him spread hope around the world, and thusly weaken their power.
50	* BecomeARealBoy: This is a really dumb idea unless you're an early-stage Thalassan. The latter ''can'' reject being a Leviathan by surviving their stormy awakening through dependence on another person rather than their own strength. Anyone else who rejects their monstrous nature becomes human, but purging their bestial and divine natures destroys their mind.
51	* BewareTheNiceOnes: Bahamutans are said to be calmer than the other Strains and see a need to protect their mortal followers. Nu are (unreliably) stereotyped as introspective and mystical. Yet when angry Bahamutans hit the apocalyptic end of the scale while the Nu are often the most alien Leviathans and their mastery of Elements holds the most destructive powers in the game.
52	* BlackAndGrayMorality: As is standard for a Chronicles of Darkness setting, though with GrayAndGreyMorality and ALighterShadeOfGray inherent in the setting.
53	** On the Black side, you have: Typhons (Leviathans who have lost all sense of humanity and become mindless beasts) and Leviathans who haven't gone that far, but still abuse their powers and positions to [[AGodAmI revel in their own sense of divinity]].
54	** On the Gray side, you have: most Leviathans, who even if they try to be nice, have powerful instincts and emotions, a literally inhuman mindset, and MindRape people around them whether they want to or not. You also have the Primordial Theurgists, crazed wizards who try to steal theo-psionic energies from Leviathans in order to fuel their own magic -- and they can easily be Black instead, since the kind of person willing to ''do'' something like that often isn't very moral even before their sanity starts breaking under the strain of trying to channel Leviathan mojo.
55	** And on the Light Gray side, you have: the Marduk Society in its modern format (pre-Civil War is more Gray), and you have Empyrean Theurgists (mystics who convert Virtue into a source of magical power).
56	** Leviathans vs. Marduk or Empyreal Theurgists can easily shift into WhiteAndGreyMorality or even BlackAndWhiteMorality, if you're not careful. The former is closer to the official intent than the latter, though.
57	* BlessedWithSuck: Being a Leviathan is ''not'' fun.
58	* BigScrewedUpFamily: All Leviathans are one very screwed up distant family and each {{Splat}} has details of the inevitably dysfunctional dynamics they tend to create with their mortal family.
59	** [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative For the Tribe]] Bahamutans are known to have healthy and [[TheComplainerIsAlwaysWrong supportive families.]]
60	** Dagonite families are the least healthy physically and socially, mired in {{Cult}} like traditions and ruled with an iron fist.
61	** The Lahamin are cursed with stillbirths and high infant mortality, this might explain why they [[ParentalNeglect don't get]] [[ParentalAbandonment attached]] to their children.
62	** The family tree surrounding a Nu tends to show lots of dead ends, either from physical hardships or social dynamics.
63	** Oceanids take pride in their families and set up [[DecadentCourt social dynamics]] to keep the [[SocialDarwinist bloodline healthy]].
64	** The Tanninim apply their [[KnightTemplarParent mantle as judges]] to their own family, often this leaves them as strict self policing groups long after they've forgotten why they ever needed to be.
65	** Thalassans have healthy families or large families but never both. They expect great things from their descendants and don't [[EducationMama leave it to chance.]]
66	* BerserkButton: Common in the Tribe but also a defining feature of conflict between Leviathans. Leviathans typically oppose each other through proxies and dominance displays and will try to avoid directly attacking one another, until their button is pushed and they instantly go from non-violent conflict to trying to kill the other quickly and efficiently.
67	* BizarreAlienBiology: Hyper-dimensionality is probably the most bizarre aspect but hardly the only one.
68	* BizarreAlienReproduction: Leviathans can reproduce by parthenogenesis, can produce anything from "mutant minions" to "fully-fledged clones" of themselves by doing so, and can implant the egg in just about anything alive if it's large enough.
69	* BodyHorror: There's a lot of this. Mostly in when you first gain your powers and if your [[KarmaMeter Tranquillity]] drops your human form might not be quite so human again.
70	* BoomerangBigot: The School of Thunder. Plenty of Leviathans outside the School of Thunder also hate being a Leviathan, but they don't kill other Leviathans over it.
71	* BreakTheCutie: ''Existing'' is a long exercise in a Leviathan's mental fortitude, seeing if he dies before he [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds snaps]].
72	* BreedingCult: It's a setting about Lovecraft-inspired sea-dwelling god-monsters. Of course this trope comes into play.
73	* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: Yes, the Leviathans aren't NighInvulnerable and you can kill them with ordinary military-tier heavy weaponry. But, they can still do a ''ton'' of damage and if they find out you're gunning for them, you can be damn sure they're going to give you one hell of a butcher's bill to remember them by.
74	* CategoryTraitor: How the Tribe view the School of Thunder.
75	* CityOfAdventure: Sand Diego/Tijuana
76	* CelestialDeadline: Portents, which are a combination of local tides and visibility or astrological location of eight celestial bodies have a helping or hindering effect on Rituals.
77	* ConspiracyRedemption: The Marduk Society is either in the late stages of one or has recently finished and is trying desperately to rebuild from the resultant civil war, depending on your edition.
78	* {{Cult}}: You can have your own, there's rules for it. Usually ends up as a PathOfInspiration, ReligionOfEvil and/or CorruptChurch, for reasons that should be obvious.
79	* DontFearTheReaper: Davy Jones is about the nicest Tribespeople can get.
80	* DreamLand: The Rift. It resembles a cross between the Tribe's collective id and the spiritual equivalent of a toxic waste dump. It's the closest thing Leviathans have to an ancestral homeland.
81	%%* DuelingGames: With ''TabletopGame/SirenTheDrowning''.
82	* EatsBabies: It is given a ranking on the KarmaMeter, that should tell you all you need to know.
83	* EldritchAbomination: Ophions, Leviathans who have succumbed entirely to their divine nature. They are beings of alien madness who exist solely to fulfill ever-shifting desires driven by the Currents of the Rift.
84	* EldritchLocation: In deepest part of the Rift all space is one single point.
85	* Myth/EgyptianMythology: Nu hails from here.
86	* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: The School of Sand opens with a speech about a Leviathan feeling home sick and phoning his mother.
87	* FaceFullOfAlienWingWong: The origin myth of The Tribe. Player characters can implant their eggs in any sufficiently large living being. Including humans.
88	* FeetOfClay: The Marduk Society, in 2nd edition at least. Their darkest secret is that their founders were not only corrupt sorcerers who were hunting Leviathans for immortality and drawing their power from despair, but said sorcerers actually ''murdered'' Marduk so that they wouldn't have to sacrifice the powers he had taught them.
89	* FeralChild: Not all Hybrids are sentient. The ones that aren’t most closely resemble this.
90	* {{Foil}}: If their histories are telling the truth both the Tribe and the Marduk Society had a golden age. Both lost it at the dawn of history. However the Tribe has gone nowhere in the millennia since, while the Marduk Society have been gradually improving century by century and may one day reach their former glory.
91	* FreudianTrio: Twisted, the Leviathan's three natures are the Bestial (Id), the Human (Ego and Superego) and the Divine ([[ManipulativeBastard Id, again]])
92	* GlassCannon: Leviathans, in contrast to most other denizens of the TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness . Beyond some biological armor and extra health when they HulkOut, they have pretty much no defensive mutations or powers -- no HealingFactor, no NighInvulnerability, nothing. Even [[TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening Mages]] can devise spells for armor and healing, which Leviathans essentially can't. This, ironically, makes them amongst the squishiest monsters around. But they can still do ''massive'' damage to anyone unwise enough to get within reach.
93	** This remains true even when a Leviathan reaches Godzilla sizes. While a Vampire or Mage with the right spells is exceptionally tough for something human sized and made of flesh, a Godzilla like Leviathan has about the expected toughness of a skyscraper sized aquatic lizard. This means that while they can do more damage than a vampire could dream of just by stepping on someone and are immune to small arms gunfire, they still go down to an entirely mundane airstrike.
94	* GodzillaThreshold: Marduk's "[[KillSat Plan B]]." Deconstructed in that they ''really'' don't want to use this unless they absolutely have to, in major part because it's not that easy to hit anything smaller than an aircraft carrier with it.
95	* GoneHorriblyRight:
96	** In second edition, contacting a Leviathan's mind can potentially drive whoever was stupid enough to do so insane. Watered down their ichors may be, but Leviathans are still antediluvian deities; man was not ''meant'' to walk amongst their thoughts.
97	** Primordial Theurgists work magic by stealing theo-psionic energy from Leviathans. Sometimes, these "prayers" actually attract the attention of the "Old God" that the human mystics have been stealing power from. It rarely goes well for the human when that happens.
98	* GoodHurtsEvil: True Virtue is anathema to the Tribe, repelling them and crippling their powers.
99	* GoodIsImpotent: Zigzagged with Marduk in 2e; they can ''definitely'' do a lot of damage when they can bring their might to bear. The problem is that they have a lot of trouble doing so in the first place, and the brutal, bloody purge they recently underwent has made it even harder for them to organize themselves.
100	* GoodIsNotNice: Empyreal Theurgists draw their power from Virtue and sincere belief in a patron god. Not only does that not make them "nice guys" by nature, but even the gods they worship aren't necessarily much better than the Tribe. As their chapter admits, not ''every'' Empyreal Theurgist is a progressive liberal type.
101	* Myth/GreekMythology: Oceanus and Thalassa.
102	* HalfHumanHybrid: Leviathans and Hybrids do have ''some'' human genetic material in their bloodline. Leviathans are born when the genes line up just right, fully awakening the unique combination of divine horror and antediluvian {{Sea Monster}}s that lurk within their blood; their humanity is more... questionable. Hybrids, even if their bestial genes dominant their appearance, are functionally more human than even the most humane Leviathan -- the Leviathans are God/Monster fusions with traces of human, Hybrids are Human/Monster fusions with a trace of god.
103	* HeroAntagonist: Most of the Marduk Society, who run the gambit from {{Wide Eyed Idealist}}s to [[KnightInSourArmor Knights In Sour Armor]] to HeWhoFightsMonsters. Empyrean Adepts can be this, or can subvert this by being fundamentalist monsters whose LawfulEvil theology is every bit as bad as the Tribe's ChaoticEvil nature.
104	* HordeOfAlienLocusts: The Womb of Nations are a pretty straight example, though it is made of coral rather than insects.
105	* HumansAreSpecial: Unfortunately for Leviathans...
106	* HunterOfMonsters: Ahabs and the Marduk Society. Ahabs are much more obsessed than the Society. There are two smaller hunter groups as well. The Irrational Economic Actors Task Force, focused on the economic damage that monsters in the dark do to Europe's economy, and the Season Letters, who are motivated by a curiosity born of academia.
107	* TheIdealist: Defining trait of Marduk Society hunters. Optimism is regarded as one of the most essential traits a would-be hunter of Leviathans can have.
108	* {{Kaiju}}: Leviathans technically are ones, given their nature as half-divine giant monsters. However, they're distinctly kaiju of the original school, meaning they're big, strong and destructive, but hardly NighInvulnerable. The barrage of National Guard fire that Franchise/{{Godzilla}} shrugs off would be enough to severely hurt, maybe even kill a Leviathan.
109	* KarmaMeter: Tranquility, it measures how close the Levathian has come to reconciling is three natures with one another. In a twist, clinging too tightly to your human side is just as bad as rejecting it completely.
110	* KillSat: The Marduk Society have one, appropriately enough as Marduk's weapon was lighting.
111	* KrakenAndLeviathan: Kinda the whole point.
112	* KryptoniteFactor: Leviathans have two: Electricity does Aggravated Damage to Leviathans and wards can be created out of Virtue. Both work on symbolism, reflecting how humanity has grown since the era of Tiamat -- electricity symbolizes the fact that we've harnessed the most [[ShockAndAwe awesome]] of primal forces for our technology, and Virtue wards symbolize dominion over the id and our bestial ancestors.
113	* LovecraftLite: The basis of the setting. Mythosian-style Outer Gods are real... but they're not in charge anymore and, frankly, many of them just want to be left alone. Plus, you can kill them... ''if'' you're lucky, and ''if'' you're willing to accept the possibility of PyrrhicVictory.
114	* ManBehindTheMan: The Old Men of Marduk, a group of {{Evil Sorcerer}}s who were running the Marduk Society in the game's first edition. Far more cynical and self-serving than their idealistic patrons, they were secretly harvesting Leviathan flesh for immortality. The Society was just starting to realise this inner corruption and trying to come to terms with it. In 2e, the "coming rebellion" has basically happened already, several years ago, and now the Society is picking up the pieces.
115	* MessianicArchetype: In the Tribe's origin myth Marduk defeated the Progenitors and freed humanity. From the Tribe's point of view this was closer to the Original Sin.
116	* MindRape: Spending enough time near a Leviathan can cause MindRape, even if the Leviatahn genuinely doesn't want to. When they are actually trying a Leviathan can inflict severe derangements in seconds. Just looking at a Leviathan in Apotheosis will exasperate existing derangements. Leviathans are not good for sanity.
117	* MisterSeahorse: Leviathans of either gender are capable of asexual reproduction, and likewise capable of impregnating people of either gender. The Tribe's standard image of Dagon is a pregnant merman.
118	* MoreDakka: It was the development of guns that really cemented humanity's superiority to Leviathans. Up until guns came along, the best hope humans had were either champions with powerful magical blessings out the wazoo, or to try and ZergRush the Leviathan and pray that they had enough people to inflict the DeathOfAThousandCuts before they all wound up squashed, eaten or {{Mind Rape}}d. Nowadays, a National Guard battalion has firepower that can level the equivalent of Innsmouth without risking their sanity and drive off or kill the Leviathan in charge.
119	* MotherOfAThousandYoung: Practically the Tribe's hat. If the Tiamat myth is accurate then She gave birth to the seven progenitors who in turn are the ancestors of the entire Tribe. Even if not the Tribe are really fast at reproducing and can even create short lived monstrous children in the middle of combat to assist them.
120	** In the second edition a Leviathan near the peak of their power can create a hundred short lived minions in three seconds, and nothing stops them using it repeatedly to create an entire swarm.
121	* MythologyGag: InUniverse, in 2nd edition, the Marduk Society calls their space station headquarters "Babylon", deliberately invoking the empire that Marduk is said to have liberated from Tiamat and her brood.
122	* MythologyUpgrade: The Progenitors have been upgraded from a rather diverse bunch[[note]]To give a '''very''' rough summary: None have strong associations with evolution. Nu personified primordial chaos and water, Oceanus and Thalassa personified water, Lahamu was primordial and personified the sea bed. Tannan, Bahamut and Dagon are not primordial, personified water or chaos being a Demon, mythological beast and fertility god but all three were associated with water.[[/note]] into personifications of primordial chaos, water and evolution. Averted with Tiamat who was always like that.
123	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The Wicked Tribe, Earth's Most Wicked Tribe, Earth's Most Wicked. All collective names for Leviathans.
124	* Myth/NorseMythology – Jormungandr is mentioned as a lesser known Progenitor. Its descendants led an ill fated movement against humanity. One sample character may be from Jormungandr's Strain but he could be lying (Storytellers are given two sets of stats).
125	* OneWingedAngel: Apotheosis. Which you can enter as a starting character (and almost empty your Ichor pool in the process).
126	** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]]: Younger Leviathans are known to refer to a trick that allows you to do this reflexively when you would normally die by the trope name.
127	* OnlySaneMan: The curse of the Nu Strain is to be one of these; their Beloved basically devolve into zealous idiots, to the point that one of them mistaking a Nu's shopping list for ''a carefully coded demand for a VirginSacrifice'' is mentioned in the Strain's 2e writeup. Needless to say, the Nu find this very frustrating.
128	* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: Oceaneads are the Strain most associated with mermaids, and their associated hybrids Pelopsids often are outright mermaids. Oceaneads are shapeshifting demi-gods who tend towards being [[ManipulativeBastard Manipulative Bastards]] while Pelopsids tend towards being physical or social brutes but many break the stereotype.
129	* OverzealousUnderling: Leviathans often resort to creating cults out of their Beloved simply because it's the easiest way to provide some kind of structure that keeps them relatively functional without needing constant micro-management, as the Wake basically burns loyalty into their brains at the cost of their sanity. If the Leviathan isn't careful, their Beloved can often do the ''stupidest'' things in the name of proving their devotion. An example given in the 2E corebook is a Leviathan handing their Beloved a grocery list and asking them to do some shopping, only for them to come back with a HumanSacrifice (or twenty), believing the list was coded directives for finding the perfect offering(s).
130	* PaperTiger: The Marduk Society in 2e. Yes, they do have jet fighters and a space-station with an orbital battle cannon. On the other hand, their infrastructure is shot to hell as a result of their recent civil war, they can't get too direct with their gear for a couple of reasons ranging from the pragmatic (they don't want to give away their existence) to the idealistic (kill-sats are ''messy and imprecise'', and civilian casualties are '''not''' acceptable), their numbers weren't that great ''before'' they had their bloody self-purging, and that's just the problems that've been made explicit so far. Theoretically, the Tribe ''could'' wipe the Society out... if they could just figure out how to get to that damn space station of theirs...
131	* PersonOfMassDestruction: To put it in perspective, a starting character can create a short lived hurricane or earthquake. You'd need some pretty good rolls or an existing natural disaster to work with, though. And that's just if you want to be flashy. [[MindRape Call of the Depths]] alone offers the possibility to cause massive orgies of death and destruction, as it can drive entire ''cities'' into mindless obedience to the Leviathan. High-tier characters... well, one of the examples thrown out in reference is "physically pull the moon out of orbit and eat it".
132	* PhysicalGod: Zigzagged. Leviathans ''are'' partly divine through their very lineage, and have immense powers (especially at the peak of Sheol), but equal emphasis is placed on the ''physical'' part of the equation. Thusly, Leviathans ''can'' be hurt or even killed, just like humans. It's just not easy unless you're packing superscience devices or backed by a whole army.
133	* PowerAtAPrice: It's pretty much the defining attribute of the setting: All power from the Tribe comes at a price. Leviathans have great power but must contend with a tempestuous mind, wicked drives, and an aura that causes madness in all around them. Hybrids have less power, but the genetics that might give them strength and gills might also give them Down's Syndrome. Primordial Theurgists need to intentionally expose themselves to a Leviathan's maddening aura to gain power and risk the hostile attention of the Leviathan they are trying to steal power from. Ahabs have PowerBornOfMadness, with emphasis placed on the "insanity" side of the equation.
134	* PowerBornOfMadness: Ahabs, and the madness was [[MindRape caused by Leviathans]].
135	** Technically, the Primordial Theurgists as well, as they're literally stealing the theo-psionic energy of Leviathans through their own rituals to cast their spells.
136	* PsychicPowers: Leviathans are perhaps the most powerful psychics in the World of Darkness, up to summoning hurricanes or casually inflicting severe Derangements in the blink of an eye. It helps that the other Splats who can do those things aren’t using psychic powers to do it.
137	* RevengeBeforeReason: Played with. Leviathans indeed will put everything aside to destroy another Leviathan who has crossed the line, but they wouldn't frame it as "revenge." It's a Bestial reaction that's most often triggered when the Leviathan in question is driven into a corner.
138	* ScarilyCompetentTracker: Ahabs have a supernatural "Leviathan sense". If it attunes to a Leviathan the Ahab can sense them from anywhere in the world but also become entirely obsessed with tracking that Leviathan down.
139	* SevenDeadlySins: Each Strain is traditionally associated with one of the seven deadly sins, a Merit increase a Leviathan's connection to it's Strain's sin up to the point where the Virtue and Vice mechanics switch places. This may be a reference to Leviathan being the Demon Prince of Envy.
140	* ScienceHero: The Marduk Society's endowment is actually called Superscience and looks like 1970's sci-fi specifically because they identify with the [[IWantMyJetPack hope inherent in old sci-fi.]] More generally scientific methods tend to be pretty effective at fighting or cleaning up after Leviathans; one theory even says their [[KryptoniteFactor vulnerability to electricity]] exists because electricity symbolises man's power of reason.
141	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: The School of Thunder's attitude to their own species.
142	* ShockAndAwe: Leviathans are vulnerable to electricity, unsurprisingly this became the Marduk's Society weapon of choice.
143	* ShoutOut: The TimeMaster vestige is called ''The Key and the Gate'', which is a byname for [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos Yog-Sothoth]].
144	* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: [[TabletopGame/MummyTheCurse The Arisen]] rarely encounter the Marduk Society, fortunately for both sides, but express a weary contempt for the Society's idealism, evidencing the opinion that humanity at its core hasn't changed significantly since the day they were living beings. [[SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers This attitude utterly infuriates the Society.]]
145	* SixthRangerTraitor: The Eight School, the School of Thunder, forsakes the Leviathans to instead beg for salvation from some other patron god, up to and including slaughtering their own kind in hopes of desperately winning that patron's mercy.
146	* SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic: The Nu can't become true Leviathans without at least trying this. They don't develop their Tribal instincts unless and until they try to figure out what's going on with them and what they can do, though given that every time they touch water things start getting screwy, it's unlikely that any reasonably curious human ''won't'' eventually try this. The exceptions don't live long.
147	* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted, therapy is the counter to a Leviathan's MindRape.
148	* TheOldGods: Tiamat and the Progenitors, if they ever actually existed, have been gone for a long time. [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing It's generally believed they were smote by Marduk]].
149	* TimeTravel: In the second edition, with the right power Leviathans exist at all points on their personal timeline and can simply change their mind about what they did in the past. Being creatures of primordial chaos they are naturally [[ParadoxPerson Paradox People]] and have to cause enormous damage to the timestream before a TemporalParadox becomes dangerous to them.
150	* TragicMonster: The first edition frequently mentioned Leviathans' inability to live a moral life and their quest to find self-acceptance and some way of minimizing the harm they cause. The second edition places more emphasis on this aspect: The game's theme was changed from "monstrous puberty" to "biblical tragedy", whilst the Strains were rewritten to put more focus on their dysfunctional relationships with mankind.
151	* TwoFistedTales: Marduk is based on this style, as befitting their "Power of Hope and Progress!" theme.
152	* {{Tykebomb}}: You can clone yourself into hybrid children to swell your armies. If you don't want to wait 18 years you can speed up their growth too, but this won't speed up their [[ChildSoldiers mental development]].
153	* UnderwaterCity: There's lots of them, usually populated by the Gugal. They range from stone age settlements to advanced technological or magical societies.
154	* UnexpectedlyRealisticGameplay: In the 2e writeup for the Marduk Society, it's noted that a big part of their PaperTiger status is because of their need for secrecy. Running an organization like that is ''expensive'' and ''complicated'' at the best of times, since you need dozens of support staff for every single active field agent. You need mechanics to tend to the machines (remember, just one little missing piece and your fancy jet fighter is either a heap of junk or a deathtrap), you need engineers to build stuff, people to feed all the workers, etc. Then you add the strains of secrecy to that, which means, among other things, cutting down membership to the barest minimum possible to survive. It's a wonder that the Society can get anything done at all!
155	* VillainsActHeroesReact: Invoked with the Marduk Society in 2e; standard operating procedure is to patiently watch and wait, studying for the social waves caused by a Leviathan's presence before going in to try and take it down. This galls them, but it's less dangerous to the agents and to innocent bystanders than just running around guns-blazing... not that they have the option to do that anyway.
156	* VoluntaryShapeshifting: A standard power of Leviathans who have seven forms in a line from human to full sea-monster. The more human a Leviathan is, the less of their abilities they can use.
157	** EvilMakesYouUgly: As your [[KarmaMeter Tranquillity]] decreases, Leviathans' shapeshifting acquires unsightly [[BodyHorror Afflictions]].
158	** HulkingOut: [[OhCrap Be warned]], they can transform spontaneously if overly stressed.
159	* WalkingWasteland: On the spiritual/psychic level, all Leviathans count as this. It's not exactly clear what happens when they cross paths with [[TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated Prometheans]], but from the author's comments on how the "Primordial Water" and the "Divine Fire" don't mix well... it can't be anything good for anyone nearby.
160	* WhenThePlanetsAlign: Leviathan rituals work best during certain confluences of tidal and astrological events. You benefit from the stars being right.
161	* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: [[TragicMonster Typhons]] and [[HiddenAgendaVillain Deep Ones]].

Context TabletopGame / LeviathanTheTempest